A newly released study says that 42.6 million Americans sing in choruses – and that they are exemplary citizens.

Well, the study is by Chorus America, the choral trade group, the results come from a survey and methodology is perhaps not entirely scientific – but the statistics won’t be surprising to anyone who hangs around with choral singers.

According to the study, “Choral singers exhibit higher levels of civic involvement, with choristers almost 3 times more likely to be officers or committee members of local community organizations such as the PTA.”

There’s more: 78 percent of choral singers – versus 50 percent of the population at large – “at least sometimes” volunteer in their community. They report giving two-and-a-half times more money to philanthropy than the average, and 96 percent of the eligible voters among them say they they vote regularly in both national and local elections, against 70 percent of all eligible voters.

They’re twice as likely to go to the opera, orchestral performances and theater as non-singers, and they enjoy museums and art galleries at a level well above average as well.

Two-thirds of choral singers “agree or strongly agree that being in a chorus has helped them socialize better in other areas of their lives.”

That’s the least surprising part of all: Anyone who’s ever sung in a choral group knows that nobody parties like the choir.

Check out the complete study at http://www.chorusamerica.org/about_choralsinging.cfm